Covering topics on religion, philosophy and life, this blog attempts to make biblical truths simple for the average believer. As porridge is soft to aid digestion, so the blog contents are easily understood.
However, there is also meaty stuff for those who aspire to go deeper. The relevance of the Bible in our daily life (areas such as finances, sex, marriage, health and emotional healing) is also dealt with.

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Sunday, 24 February 2013

EMPOWERING THE YOUNG

How a couple nurtured and encouraged their
daughter who was keen to teach.

One of the challenges which Teachers’ Christian Fellowship (TCF) Malaysia faces is the reluctance of many
Christian parents to allow their children to become teachers. Even those who
are teachers themselves actively discourage their children from following their
footsteps. Many young people who are keen to teach fail to join the teaching
profession as their parents want them to go into more lucrative careers like
medicine, law, engineering or accountancy.

TCF sought Dr and Mrs Lim Poh Ann for their views as parents on teaching
as a career for young people. Their daughter, Priscilla Lim, is a teacher in
Pulau Ketam under the first batch of the Teach for Malaysia (TFM) programme.

TCF:Did you actively encourage your
daughter to go into teaching?

Seeing Priscilla's gentleness and her love for children, we did harbour
a desire that she will one day become a pre-school teacher. So we gently
encouraged her along that path. We believe very young children, who are in the
most impressionable years of their lives, should be handled by qualified
teachers.

However, she seems to have found a calling to teach older students.
After her training stint with Youth with A Mission (YWAM) in Sabah, she felt a
strong prompting from God to work under TFM.

TCF: Reflecting on her experience as a teacher
with TFM in Pulau Ketam, do you think she has made the right choice?

We believe she is spiritually sensitive and mature enough to hear from
God personally. It is the right choice if it is God's choice for her – even though the going might be tough.

Frankly, some friends have hinted that we are wasting Priscilla's
potential by encouraging her to go into teaching. But we do not measure her
success according to how much she can earn. We know that God can use her to
touch many young lives as she is a person who loves to give.

Personally, we think TFM is making a tremendous difference in our
country. It has raised the bar to another level as far as setting standards for
the teaching profession is concerned. We also appreciate the leadership
training and exposure that Priscilla receives from TFM.

TCF: How would you advise parents who wish to
encourage their children to go into teaching?

Parents need to impress on their children's mind that teachers can make
a great impact on the lives of the younger generation. They need to gently
nurture in their children a love for teaching and help them to view teaching, not only as a career, but
as a calling. However, the children themselves also need to pray whether it is
God’s will for them to go into teaching.

It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot
tougher to make a difference. – Tom
Brokaw

The above article was first published in the newsletter of Teachers’ Christian
Fellowship (TCF), Malaysia, 2012, Vol 24 Issue 4. Used with permission.